If anyone has not noticed, a thought has been unnecessarily slipped into a few pieces of late. “Senior Brandon Wimbush will claim that honor [of starting against Michigan],” this past Monday’s Leftovers & Links slipped in. A week prior, “If Wimbush struggles against Michigan’s defense … spot relief could be a needed change of pace.”

Wimbush’s 99-to-2 entry made it clear, “Wimbush will take Notre Dame’s first offensive snaps against Michigan.” Junior quarterback Ian Book’s entry had set that tone already, “Book will back up senior Brandon Wimbush this fall.”

All that said, doubled down upon and taken off the board, there could yet be an Irish quarterback competition this preseason, beginning with tomorrow’s practice. Freshman Phil Jurkovec could conceivably impress enough to at least challenge for Book’s backup duties.

Given how well Book played when called upon last season, with the glaring exception of throwing an interception returned for a touchdown at Miami, suggesting he could lose his backup role may come as a shock. First of all, notice that verb choice: could, not should. It is merely a possibility.

Jurkovec arrives more highly-touted than any Notre Dame quarterback since five-star Dayne Crist arrived to succeed another California product who first arrived in South Bend in a limousine. (Read: Jimmy Clausen.) It has been a full decade since a prep passer of Jurkovec’s caliber donned a gold helmet. Common sense and Irish recruiting coordinator Brian Polian say to stop short of expecting Jurkovec to shine in his freshman season, but it is somewhat logical to think he could instigate some roster churn.

That churn may simply be a challenge. Jurkovec might not pass Book because instead he forces Book to raise his game as Wimbush supposedly boosted his own in the spring and summer. Such pressure would still hold an effect, even if not this season.

No matter who backs up Wimbush in 2018, Notre Dame’s ideal includes the No. 2 quarterback playing in only blowouts. Looking forward, though, if two months on campus are all it takes for Jurkovec to push Book, then that makes it all the more likely Jurkovec bypasses Book by 2019. The broadest view begins to wonder about roster turnover if Book realizes he will never be the Irish starter. The focused look raises expectations for Jurkovec as a sophomore starter next season, or in 2020 if Wimbush returns for his final season of eligibility after performing well this year.

Every snap senior running back Dexter Williams (center) does — and does not — take this preseason will be scrutinized more than ever, only in part because of the unproven depth chart behind him. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

In a similar vein, the pecking order at running back will tell a good deal about the future, but the impact there will also be distinct this season.

Much attention will go toward noting which unit senior Dexter Williams works with and how much. Summertime speculation dictates as much. With or without Williams, questions abound for running backs coach Autry Denson. Can any of his four young backs elevate himself as Notre Dame’s third option? (Those four being sophomore positional-newbies Jafar Armstrong and Avery Davis, and freshmen Jahmir Smith and C’Bo Flemister.)

At least one more reliable back, in addition to junior Tony Jones and Williams, is an absolute necessity. Denson undoubtedly prefers a minimum of two. If Williams does end up sidelined for the first few games of the season, that additional trusted ballcarrier will suddenly be the No. 2 option, a duty including 6-10 carries and two dozen snaps each week.

Whoever claims that spot will have a chance to supplant Williams and, even if not doing that, gain an edge for next season’s depth chart when Williams will not be a factor in any regard whatsoever.

Armstrong and Davis provide the most intrigue, moving from receiver and quarterback, respectively. Armstrong’s skillset best replicates Williams’, while Davis could add an entire comforter’s worth of wrinkles to Irish offensive coordinator Chip Long’s schemes. Meanwhile, Smith and Flemister offer the ever-alluring thoughts of the unknown.

One of those four will be absolutely needed this season. Two will probably get 20-plus carries. As of now, guessing which is a baffling task.

Guessing who will start at rover is a simpler question, with senior Asmar Bilal yet the frontrunner. However, some credence must be given to sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah and freshman Shayne Simon. Both were recruited with this exact position in mind, Simon more so than Owusu-Koromoah due to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clark Lea having a full cycle to identify his target.

With that in mind, either one overtaking Bilal would not speak solely to the upperclassmen underperforming, even if it has been a career staple to date. A change in the starting lineup may not occur over the next month, but Simon getting snaps alongside senior middle linebacker Te’von Coney at any point in preseason practices would point toward such a move being on the table by midseason.

Jalen Elliott (No. 21) started all 13 games last season, but his first-string gig may be in jeopardy this preseason. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

A similar dynamic could unfold at safety, where four-star freshmen Houston Griffith and Derrik Allen immediately threaten the roles of juniors Jalen Elliott and Devin Studstill. Add in junior Alohi Gilman, now eligible after sitting the requisite year following his transfer from Navy, and the newcomers at safety have already inspired drastic roster shifts. Most notably, senior Nick Coleman, a 14-game starter at the position, took spring snaps at nickelback. Three other former safeties moved up to linebacker, at least in part due to their own skillsets: junior D.J. Morgan and sophomores Jordan Genmark Heath and Isaiah Robertson.

That prompted attrition leaves few options at safety other than implementing some of the infused talent. Preseason practice is the time to decipher if Griffith will start over Elliott or only rotate in as the third safety.

One more position to worry about for those desperate for controversy … kick returner. Senior Chris Finke is likely to retain punt return duties, at least to begin the season, but with C.J. Sanders gone to SMU, someone will need to field the opening kickoff against Michigan. (Or, pending a coin toss, the kickoff to begin the second half.) Freshman receiver Braden Lenzy and his blazing track speed is an obvious candidate. Freshman cornerback Tariq Bracy had pertinent success in the return game in high school. Other options — sophomore receiver Michael Young and freshman receiver Lawrence Keys spring to mind — will certainly get chances.

These are ponderings that will largely extend past head coach Brian Kelly’s time with the media today (Thursday) at noon ET. For sanity’s sake, let’s hope they gain some clarity before 7:30 ET on Sept. 1.

This is not to diminish the losses of receiver Miles Boykin and consensus first-team All-American cornerback Julian Love. Notre Dame will miss both of them, Love in particular. But looking at the Irish depth chart, there are avenues to survival without both.

Notre Dame will return two starting receivers in rising senior Chase Claypool and fifth-year-to-be Chris Finke (speaking of which, see below). A number of options exist to replace Love, though obviously none will match his shutdown abilities. Either rising sophomore TaRiq Bracy will put on the necessary muscle to compete with receivers at this level or rising senior Donte Vaughn will return reinvigorated with health after recent surgery to repair a torn labrum surgery or rising sophomore Houston Griffith will move from safety to get his talent on the field or fifth-year Shaun Crawford will recover from an ACL tear quicker than expected or … or … or … If one of those pans out, the Irish defense should be comfortable in its coverage, buoyed by the stalwart safety combination of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. (Imagine sincerely saying “stalwart safety combination” just six months ago.)

Look again at the depth chart, and such luxuries do not exist at defensive end. If rising seniors Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara had not opted to return, Notre Dame’s 2019 dreams would have hit a lowered ceiling nine months before the season began. By no means were they certain high-round draft picks, but the allure of athletic and talented defensive ends may have easily led to some outsized draft hopes.

Their backups are certainly more than capable — rising seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji — but a talented second-unit is as important at defensive end as dangerous starters are. To replace the latter with the former is to diminish the entire enterprise outright.

The Irish could not have recovered from losing both Kareem and Okwara, at least not to the extent where Playoff talk would be viable again. Lose one and it would have still been dubious, at best.

Take a look at the teams expected to be in the mix for the Playoff. Using current championship odds … Clemson at 2-to-1, Alabama at just less than 3-to-1, Georgia at 6-to-1, Ohio State at 8-to-1, Michigan at 16-to-1 and then Oklahoma also at 16-to-1. Those first five have been known for their defenses more than anything else in recent years. Bookmakers put some faith in their ability to reload on the fly.

Notre Dame has not earned that trust, and its roster does not indicate it should have. As well as Justin Ademilola performed as a freshman in four games, inserting him into a pivotal role in 2019 would likely be a recipe for a mediocre season. He is another year of development away from being ready for that role, barring a Matt Balis-induced excellent offseason.

The Irish will need Kareem and Okwara to survive the losses of defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, but if they play as they did in 2018, that is a reasonable ask. If they continue to develop, it becomes a probability more than a Notre Dame leap of faith.

The Irish will miss Boykin’s back-shoulder reliability and everything about Love, but Brian Kelly and his coaching staff coaxed back the two most-pivotal pieces from NFL draft consideration.

Speaking of Finke, he confirmed his intent to return for his final year of eligibility Thursday evening. And he did it in a way only befitting a man comfortable in his own skin.

With the Wednesday announcement of current junior linebacker D.J. Morgan’s intention to transfer this summer as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, Notre Dame’s roster drops to 87 scholarship players expected this coming fall. Included among them, at least 12, possibly 14 linebackers. Before explaining that …

Morgan finishes his Irish career with two tackles in two 2017 appearances as a safety. He moved to linebacker during 2018’s spring practices, but never came particularly close to playing time. It remained difficult to see him cracking into the rotation moving forward given the quality of recruiting classes at the position in the last two cycles.

“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for everything they have done for me,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “When I decided to come here, my main goal was to get my degree from this prestigious University, and I am proud to see that I will be completing that goal this summer!

“During this time I will be searching for a new school to attend as a graduate transfer to finish off my last 2 years of eligibility.”

(@deundraymorgan)

Before facing Louisville on Labor Day, the Irish will need to be down to 85 scholarship players. At 87 now, that does not include incoming freshman J.D. Bertrand, who had a recruitment handled in a deliberate fashion so as to make him eligible for an academic scholarship. Notre Dame also continues to chase two defenders — consensus four-star linebacker Asa Turner and consensus four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey — who could balloon the roster count further.

Lacey will need to be ready for at least four games next season, especially with three of these six returning from injury: Tagovailoa-Amosa with a broken foot, though he did at least take some snaps against Clemson; Franklin from a torn quad that will limit him through the spring; and Spears from a torn ACL that could conceivably cost him 2019.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush will continue his career at Central Florida. Wimbush announced his graduate transfer destination Tuesday morning.

“The journey continues on …,” Wimbush wrote on Instagram. “A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not (sic) describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.

“With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University.”

Wimbush will enter into a starting opportunity, although an unfortunate one and a competitive one. The late November horrendous knee injury to three-year starter McKenzie Milton will almost-assuredly sideline him through the 2019 season. If not for the injury, Milton would either be starting 2019 for the Knights or headed to the NFL.

In his first year of any action, sophomore Darriel Mack played in 10 games for Central Florida, completing 51 of his 100 pass attempts for 619 yards and three touchdowns, including going 35-of-71 for 526 yards and three scores in the two-plus games Milton missed.

Wimbush finishes his Irish career with a 13-3 record as a starter, including four wins during 2018’s unbeaten regular season. After the Notre Dame offense failed to break 24 points in the first three games of the season, offensive coordinator Chip Long turned to Ian Book for a spark, one Book provided and then some.

Wimbush’s role became non-existent after that, aside from a Senior Day start in place of an injured Book, throwing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards.

Mustipher and Co. will now have reason to keep an eye on the Knights in 2019. After going 25-1 in the last two seasons, Central Florida will want to keep the momentum rolling, particularly with Stanford arriving in Orlando on Sept. 14, a week before the Knights head to Pittsburgh. The Knights genuinely entering the College Football Playoff conversation remains unlikely, but topping those two before rolling through the American Athletic Conference would at least start the discussion, especially if a former Irish quarterback headlines the way.

Named 2018’s Next Man In, Wimbush finishes his Irish career with 2,606 yards on 193-of-382 passing with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 additional touchdowns.

AS FOR NOTRE DAME’S QB IN 2019 …Early Heisman odds came from an online sportsbook Tuesday, betonline.ag. Irish rising senior Ian Book was given 16-to-1 odds, tied for ninth on the listing. Given the names ahead of him, Book’s realistic chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are slim. Only Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have odds lower than 12-to-1, at 7-to-2 and 4-to-1, respectively.

Then come two Notre Dame opponents — Georgia running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, both at 12-to-1. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson checks in at 25-to-1, just ahead of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello at 33-to-1.

If nothing else, Book can count on some early-season hype if the Irish top Swift and Fromm on Sept. 21.

Dabo Swinney paid tribute to the late Tyler Trent in his speech while Clemson visited the White House 🙏

A sign of a strong program is one that loses players to the NFL before they exhaust eligibility. In that vein, Notre Dame lost a consensus first-team All-American cornerback, its leading receiver and a long-time tease of a tight end. The last of those (Alizé Mack) was never expected back for a fifth season; replacing Miles Boykin’s production is certainly within reason; and a consensus first-team All-American should be expected to take the route junior Julian Love has.

Even with that expectation, losing Love — and to a lesser extent, Boykin — alters the natural roster cycle, the inherent design intended during recruiting. Reloading is always the hope, the next intention, but very rarely is the young backup comparable to the near professional, even by the end of the coming season.

Nonetheless, the Irish got off easy this cycle compared to four of their 2019 opponents …

GEORGIA: Junior running back Elijah Holyfield, the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher, departs after gaining 1,018 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry this season. Frankly, that is the least of Georgia’s losses. Three of quarterback Jake Fromm’s four favorite targets will leave eligibility on the figurative table:

Without running back Karan Higdon, Michigan will presumably rely on its passing game more in 2019, quarterback Shea Patterson’s second season as a Wolverine. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

MICHIGAN: The Wolverines got good news when quarterback Shea Patterson opted to return for 2019, but losing leading-rusher Karan Higdon (1,178 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.3 average) will be an issue head coach Jim Harbaugh undoubtedly hoped to avoid. Junior tight end Zach Gentry, Patterson’s third-most prolific target with 32 catches for 514 yards and two scores, will also head to the next level.

On the flip side, Harbaugh could have hoped linebacker Devin Bush (team-leading 80 tackles with 9.5 for loss including five sacks), defensive end Rashan Gary (44 tackles with seven for loss including 3.5 sacks) or linebacker David Long (17 tackles with one interception) might return, but no such luck for Michigan.

Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones will head to the NFL after his third season as a starter, immediately lowering the Blue Devils’ 2019 expectations. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

DUKE: Junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris paced the Blue Devils with 81 tackles, including seven for loss with one sack, doing so in only nine games. But losing Giles-Harris is hardly the concern for Duke. The decision to turn pro from quarterback Daniel Jones is.

In his third year as a starter, the junior fought through a broken collarbone to still play in 11 games in 2018, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He added 319 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Jones’ decision may come as a surprise, but it is one that should work out well for both him and Notre Dame. Some mock drafts project him as a top-10 pick. In a draft light on quarterbacks — partly because Oregon’s Justin Herbert returned for another season, yet already somewhat counteracted by the Monday draft entry from Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray — Jones could end up being the third or fourth passer picked.

BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles will say farewell to junior cornerback Hemp Cheevers after he notched seven interceptions this season, returning one for a touchdown, to go along with 39 tackles.

STANFORD: This will seem like the Cardinal lost a lot to the NFL draft, but it could have been worse: As the departures mounted, so did speculation junior quarterback K.J. Costello might follow them. He opted not to.

Stanford will be without running back Bryce Love after his prodigious two seasons as the starter. Consider that a loss akin to the Irish Love, the inevitable price of enjoying the success in the first place.

Junior receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will capitalize on his breakout season of 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns, depriving Costello of his favorite jump-ball threat.

Junior tight end Kaden Smith will also head to the next level, in large part thanks to his 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

Louisville, New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech and Navy all did not lose anyone early or pseudo-early to the NFL draft.